‘Will he bounce?’ – top tipster eager to take on Heart Wood in Melling Chase on day two of the Grand National meeting
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Paul Kealy is eager to take on Heart Wood in today’s JCB Melling Chase (3.30) and has joined the plunge on Gidleigh Park on day two of the 2026 Grand National meeting.
The Racing Post’s expert tipster is concerned that Heart Wood’s brilliant win in the Ryanair Chase may have left a mark on him and he hopes his Harry Fry-trained rival can land a first Grade 1 triumph.
While Gidleigh Park needs to bounce back from being pulled up in the Clarence House Chase last time, he has been backed into 4-1, having been as big as 17-2 on Thursday. He notably ran a fine race when runner-up in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at last year’s meeting.
Speaking on Good Morning Aintree, Kealy said: “Heart Wood won a Ryanair without Fact To File in it and will he bounce? He might do. That would worry me as he ran a really big race at Cheltenham last year and didn’t even finish next time out when he was favourite. You have to put that in your mind. I worry about Grey Dawning coming down in trip too.
“I’ve had a couple of quid on Gidleigh Park, but not a lot. He ran an absolute cracker at this meeting behind Impaire Et Passe and was just ahead of Jango Baie. He’s got his problems to overcome, though, and he shouldn’t be any shorter than he is.”
Johnny Dineen is keen to take on another red-hot favourite on the card, when Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Sober Glory runs in the Top Novices’ Hurdle (2.55). He is backing Starting Fifteen, although without the favourite.
Dineen said: “Sober Glory’s price doesn’t appeal to me at meetings like this, when it’s an afterthought after Cheltenham. If he gives his running, he’ll win, and I think if he jumped the last at Cheltenham, it may have been a nostril either way.
“I loathe to back horses at that price in these races. We’ve been down this road before at this meeting. He has one very bad run on his card too, which is a worry at this price. He doesn’t tick every box at 8-13. It’s a chance I wouldn’t want to take.”
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